CR's May 30, 2025 Times Standard Education Matters Article

Published on May 27 2025

When we talk about higher education these days, the discussion often gravitates to the cost of attendance, the quality of the student’s classroom experience, whether a particular degree will lead to gainful employment, DEI, or the fractured relationship between higher education and the federal government. While these topics are worthy of discussion, I want to acknowledge that our institutional success is also predicated on how well we serve our students with disabilities.  

CR has been at the forefront of a cultural shift, as the experiences of COVID-19 stimulated more open conversations about the social and contextual implications of disability. We are aware that disability encompasses a wide range of conditions and manifests differently in each individual person. We know that students with disabilities face additional burdens in higher education, carrying the responsibility of navigating what they need both inside and outside the classroom. 

Many students also navigate multiple layers of marginalization in addition to their disability status. I know firsthand, through my own family experiences, that students with what have come to be knows as invisible disabilities - conditions that aren't immediately noticeable to others, such as chronic pain, learning differences, or mental health disorders - walk a fine line.  They may be afforded the privileges that go with looking “normal” yet still must navigate a world that was not designed for how their bodies function, or the way their brains process information and emotions. 

According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office article published on April 30, 2024, the percentage of college students with disabilities has grown since 2004 nationally. The increase was largely driven by more students reporting mental health conditions or attention deficit disorder.

CR has seen this increase in the number of students seeking our disability services. Over the past five years, the number of students receiving support from Student Accessibility Support Services (SASS) has more than doubled—from 340 in 2020–21 to 810 in 2024–25. Included in this statistic are students with acquired brain injury, ADHD, autism spectrum, blind and low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, intellectual and learning disabilities, mental health issues, and physical disabilities. In 2023–24, 10.18% of CR students were part of SASS.  Enrollment in disability-related courses has grown significantly as well, from 237 students in 2020–21 to 1,132 in 2024–25. Despite the challenges many of these students face, they continue to perform well academically: SASS students maintained an average GPA of 3.08 between 2021–22 and 2024–25, just below the 3.19 average for non-SASS students. These numbers illustrate why I believe that our SASS staff are some of the unsung heroes of CR. 

As the number of students with mental health challenges and complex disabilities increased, it became clear that accommodations alone were not enough to support long-term academic success. In response—and under increasing budget constraints—SASS shifted from a transactional service model to one focused on holistic student development. Since Fall 2023, the team has implemented more than 60 programmatic changes aimed at improving communication and policies, increasing accessibility, expanding course offerings, and fostering a stronger sense of community and belonging.

We now provide important self-care services such as counseling resources, mindfulness exercises, mental health support, tools for managing and reducing stress, and resources for coping with anxiety disorders. Through our LIGHT Center we provide one-on-one and small group instruction for students looking for academic assistance, tutoring in English, math, science, and various other subject areas, adaptive learning/study strategies for learning and other disability types, reading strategies to improve comprehension and retention, and memory strategies for improving recall. We also provide adaptive physical education classes and living skills classes designed to promote independence and personal growth. 

My SASS staff and faculty colleagues —Jourdan Farmer, Jason Brewer, Lucas Bailor, Sandor Turke, Linda Phelps, Diane Lee, Stacy Brown, Adrianne Tomkinson, Dominic Ratto, Don McArthur, Erica Silver, Evan Hatfield, Harry Pyke, Holly Wendt, Kate Eilers, Kelly Mottershead, Kendall Finch, Nadia Richardson, Sierra Lucky, and Andrew Nichols—are critical to the College’s ability to provide comprehensive services to our most vulnerable and marginalized population. It is thanks to these wonderful colleagues that CR has been able to provide a more rounded holistic approach to SASS services that centers on the student’s individual needs and aspirations and empowers students with disabilities to thrive in higher education and beyond.